The latest Trevor Rabin release, “Rio”, is his first solo album in eleven years (Jacaranda), and his first solo album with vocals since “Can’t Look Away” from 1989. A prolific writer nonetheless, Rabin has over 50 movie soundtracks to his credit in that time, as well as continuing his association with the progressive rock band Yes and its various members, including a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2017. His latest work incorporates all of those diverse aspects of his career.
The album starts with perhaps the most Yes-like song on the record, “Big Mistakes”. The song is a rhythmic tour de force, building to an epic, multi-voiced chorus reminiscent of his best work with Yes. Later in the song, Rabin plays an angular solo along the lines of the solo break in “Owner Of A Lonely Heart”. The song encapsulates the best part of this album: it defies expectation at every turn. This is an album of musical ideas (as opposed to a straightforward album of pop songs), and Rabin shows his almost incredible knack for bridging the gap between instrumental showmanship and melodic invention. On the second track, “Push”, the song fades into an athletic guitar figure with piano accompaniment (all played by Rabin), which continues for the bulk of the first half of the song. Over top of that is a beautiful legato melody that ties the entire song together (and to some extent belies the pointed political references in the lyrics). Between the top level instrumentation, the multi-layered vocals, and the non-traditional song structures, these songs are stark evidence that Rabin has not left his progressive rock roots far behind.
Not to say that the world of soundtracks is ignored, however. The only word to describe “Oklahoma” is cinematic. The sweeping washes of keyboard evoke the American midwest, with tumbleweeds of country guitar floating throughout, leading up to the vast, epic chorus accented with strings. Written in homage to the victims of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombings, the song is elegiac yet hopeful, almost beautiful in its imagery. Many of the songs on the record share that juxtaposition, using the music to convey the weight of the lyrics; “Thandi”, about animal poaching, is ferocious in the last minute and a half, evoking nothing less than the struggle of live and death through the interplay of Rabin’s guitar and the drums as the song plays out. “Toxic” is, like its title and subject matter, a brash, in-your-face piece that makes its presence known and ends the album on a high note.
As a general matter, the production and instrumentality is of the highest caliber. Except for the drums – played by longtime collaborator Lou Molina and Vinnie Colaiuta – and a smattering of guest background vocals and violin accompaniment, Rabin plays all the instruments on the record. His guitar work is well-known, and his abilities on the instrument are well-documented here, as he plays in a number of styles at an impressive level of accomplishment, across the ten tracks. The surprise is the keyboard playing; he has long played his own keyboards (and even, rumor has it, on the Yes albums on which he played), but here his keyboard playing is at times front and center often trading off with the guitar parts.
If there’s one complaint, it’s that Rabin is a strong, powerful singer, having held his own in a band with one of the best rock singers of all time (Jon Anderson) yet throughout the record his vocals are often heavily processed and distant in the mix. Almost certainly a stylistic choice, the approach lends a dreamy, detached vibe to many of the songs, an effect best seen in the wistful “These Tears”, but that perhaps doesn’t do justice to Rabin’s vocals on the more rock-oriented tracks.
It’s a minor complaint. This is a solid record, with an eclectic mix of styles, and a structure that pays off on multiple listens. Many of the songs have multiple parts, and several have little codas tacked on to the end. Nothing is superfluous, though, and nothing feels tacked on. The album develops organically and it’s clear that Rabin has put his heart and soul into the creation of this record. We can only hope the wait will not be as long for the next installment of his solo career.
Rating: 8 / 10
Released By: Inside Out Music
Release Date: October 6th, 2023
Genre: Progressive Rock
“Rio” track-listing:
1. Big Mistakes
2. Push
3. Oklahoma
4. Paradise
5. Thandi
6. Goodbye
7. Tumbleweed
8. These Tears
9. Egoli
10. Toxic
Line-up / Musicians:
- Trevor Rabin / Guitar, lead vocals, bass, keyboards on all tracks, drums and percussion on tracks 3,6,7 & 8, mandolin on tracks 2,4,6, banjo & dobro on tracks 4 & 6, backing vocals on all tracks except 3
- Lou Molino / Drums and percussion on tracks 1,4,5 & 9. Backing vocals on track 4
- Vinnie Colaiuta / Drums and percussion on track 2
- Charlie Bisharat / Violin on track 2
- Dante Marchi / Backing vocals on track 1 & 4
- Liz Constantine / Backing vocals on tracks 1 & 4
